Historic congregation of war-dispersed Assamese

June 11, 2016

2 Min Read

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 10: A historic congregation of war-dispersed people of Assam is going to be held on June 12 at Silpgram at Panjabari in the city.

Toiling efforts by Association of Historically Dispersed People of Assam (ASHDIPA) activists have made it happen. The congregation is being held in collaboration with the Axam Xahitya Xabha (AXX), Gauhati University, Srimanta Sankardev Sangha and Borduwa Than. Talking to newsmen in the city today, Tapan Kumar Sarma and others of ASHDIPA said that after the first Burmese attack on Assam, Assam had to hand over Hem Aideo and hundreds of other people as workers along with her as war booty to the invading Burmese, besides people taken by the invading Army as war-prisoners. Most of such people were slaves in the neighbouring country. The Kutchins, who had also come to Assam along with the Burmese, also took many people of Assam as slaves. Many people of Assam had also been sent to Burma in the successive Burmese attacks, they said.

“There are many Assamese people living at Mandalay, Bhamo, Mogong, Mitki, etc., places in Myanmar now. There had been communication with these Assamese-Burmese from 1933-1942. However, thereafter the communication spped. Eighty-year has elapsed during which there has been no communication with these people from Assam. However, in 2013 the communication was restored with them. The office-bearers of ASHDIPA went to Myanmar and collected many important information and documents.”

They further said that this is not all. “There’re war dispersed Assamese in Bangladesh, to be special, at Chitagong Hill Tract (CHT), as well. It was the British that had taken around 500 Assam Rifle soldiers to CHT. The soldiers stayed back there even after the partition of India into Hindustan and Pakistan,” they said, and added: “We communicated them also in 2013. They stay at Assam Basti, and they write a common title – Asom. Both Myanmarese Assamese and Bangladeshi Assamese are going to meet at the June 12 congregation.” Three from Myanman – Vidyapati, Madhurya Gopal and Chandrar – and three others from Bangladesh – Bijay Asom, Timathi Asom and Ashok Asom – going to attend the congregation.